Ledingham History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Ledingham family

The surname Ledingham was first found in Lincolnshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8) indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Leadenham, held by Colegrim from Count Alan who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Ledingham family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ledingham research.Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1200 and 1302 are included under the topic Early Ledingham History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ledingham Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries. For that reason, spelling variations are common among many Anglo-Norman names. The shape of the English language was frequently changed with the introduction of elements of Norman French, Latin, and other European languages; even the spelling of literate people's names were subsequently modified. Ledingham has been recorded under many different variations, including Ledenham, Leddenham, Lednum, Leadenum, Ledenum, Lednham, Leadingham, Leadinham, Ledingham, Ledham, Ledman and many more.

Early Notables of the Ledingham family (pre 1700)

More information is included under the topic Early Ledingham Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Ledingham family to the New World and Oceana

To escape the uncertainty of the political and religious uncertainty found in England, many English families boarded ships at great expense to sail for the colonies held by Britain. The passages were expensive, though, and the boats were unsafe, overcrowded, and ridden with disease. Those who were hardy and lucky enough to make the passage intact were rewarded with land, opportunity, and social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families went on to be important contributors to the young nations of Canada and the United States where they settled. Ledinghams were some of the first of the immigrants to arrive in North America: